City of Veils

by Zoe Ferraris

A really good police procedural, this novel also provides an excellent picture of what it is like to be female, including American, in Saudi Arabia and of the radical adjustments being made by the men who love the women who are not satisfied to live traditionally. Thoroughly recommended for reading groups as well as individuals.

Extract

Grudgingly Katya acknowledged that she had a fantasy of cracking the case. They'd be grateful if that happened. They'd be able to take all the credit and she wouldn't say a word. But they would know that she was invaluable, more than just a lab tech, and if they ever found out that she wasn't really married, they'd think twice before firing her. It had been bothering her for months, this pathetic lie. As far as she could tell, there were no other women in the department who were single and lying about it, or if there were, they did an excellent job of hiding the truth.